Deerpath Inn

The Deer Path Inn is a historic hotel, originally named Deerpath Inn because of its previously location, is now located at 255 E. Illinois Road in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Deer Path Inn
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	255 E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest, Illinois
Coordinates	42°14′59″N 87°50′27″W
Area	3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built	1928–29
Architect	Jones, William C.; Anderson & Ticknor
Architectural style	Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No.	92000482[1]
Added to NRHP	May 11, 1992

History

The oldest in Lake Forest which is still in operation today as The Deer Path Inn, was established in 1894 in a residence for Col. William Sage Johnston. Shortly afterward, the house was moved one block to the north to make way for the Gorton School. It came under ownership of Kate Lancaster Brewer, who first operated it as a hotel and gave it its present name.[2] A new building was completed in 1903 at the corner of Deerpath and McKinley Roads, since demolished. Its current building was constructed in 1928–29 by then-owner Edwin Burgess on Illinois Avenue. Architect William C. Jones designed the hotel in the Tudor Revival style; his plan was inspired by a 15th-century manor house in Chiddingstone, England. A fire in 1938 damaged the building and required extensive repairs to the third story; the renovation work was conducted by architects Anderson and Ticknor.[3]

The hotel functioned as an apartment hotel and served as a permanent home for many wealthy Lake Forest residents, particularly older ones who were unable to maintain private homes. The hotel's single front door and interior spaces were designed to resemble a large home or club rather than a multi-resident complex, separating it from many other apartment hotels of the era. While apartment hotels were common in Chicago and Evanston, The Deer Path Inn was the only apartment hotel of its type in the other communities of the North Shore.[3] The hotel still operates as a resort and wedding venue.[4]

The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1992.[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Lake Forest Day: 100 Years of Celebration. Images of America. Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing. 2008. p. 16. ISBN 978-0738552491.
3. Benjamin, Susan S. (January 1992). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Deerpath Inn" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
4. "The Deer Path Inn". Retrieved October 23, 2013.